Detective Inspector! Remember?
by broken-inside-x
Summary: The CID team spend their morning playing a guessing game!
1. Chapter 1

"Do my eyes deceive me or is Stevie Moss early?"

Mickey had obviously startled the detective as her head of blond waves shot up from where it had been resting in her desk, she barely avoided knocking the large coffee cup she had balanced on the desk.

"I do believe your right she's actually here, at here desk, before 10am" Terry Perkins rough voice did little to help the thumping headache that had been raging in her head since she got up this morning.

"Oh hush up guys" she moaned before taking a large gulp of the scalding hot liquid, shuddering as the caffeine induced rush began to wake her up "Its not that unusual for me to be early!"

Mickey doubled up with laughter at her comment. He spun his chair round so that he faced the window instead of her, so he wouldn't have to see the genuine look that was plastered across her face. Out of the window he could now see the last of the night relief leaving the station. Their shoulders hunched up and half of them with their eyes half-closed. He watched as Ben and Nate ran up to the station doors, their jacket hoods pulled up over their heads to protect them from the rain. Not that there was any point, they'd be out in the rain soon enough, walking the streets of London.

"The last time you were early was your first day here Moss! After that you were never seen before 8am again" Terry chuckled from his place at his own desk, opposite Mickey. "The Guv's lucky you turn up at all on a Saturday. And when you do turn up its usually with a banging headache and a hungover Mickey in tow!"

Mickey laughed even harder at the mention of Stevie's and his Friday night antics. Most included a bay of chips and a large amount of alcohol. Last week he'd been so drunk he'd ended up crashing on her sofa, not that that had been the first time he'd slept there.

Out of the window he spotted Grace Dasari parking her car. No surprise that she was early, but what did surprise him was that the DI wasn't with her. He was like her shadow most of the time, especially in the mornings before work.

Finally, as Mickey grew bored of watching the now empty car park, he let his curiosity get the better of him.  
"So, why are you so early?"

During Terry's spiel about Stevie's inability to be on time and how she was influencing Mickey and ruining his liver she had only grinned at him in response to their Friday nights. He could see her toothy smile in the windows reflection but as he turned round in his chair to face her again he realised how tired she looked. Her usually straight hair framed her face in soft waves, making it look as though she'd just got out of bed, which she probably had. The make-up that was always applied so carefully wasn't there, leaving what looked to be bruises under her eyes uncovered and the scars she still had from the bashing she'd received from Devlin stood out against her unnaturally pale skin. And even though she looked shattered and hungover she hadn't stopped smiling since they had arrived. Even when she'd been complaining about the effect their loud chatter had on her head. He faintly heard her latest remark about Curiosity killing the cat but his mind was working overtime on his first case of the day. And then it clicked in his mind, he know understood why people used the light bulb sign for an idea.

"You've got a new fella! Haven't you?"

"Keeping secrets from us now are we? He must be a bad influence!" Terry added. Stevie watched Terry's face as he pieced together the clues in his mind, she saw as it brightened when he figured out how Mickey had come to that conclusion "But that would explain the smile that hasn't faltered yet!"

"Stevie has a new man?" Grace's quiet voice questioned as she pushed the doors to CID open, dropping her own cup of coffee on her desk, opposite Stevie who was silently cursing herself for working in an office full of detectives who got to work early. This was turning out to be the worst kept secret in the history of SunHill!

"I don't Grace. Just ignore the guys!" she protested, well she protested as loud as her pounding head would allow. It felt like a heard of elephants were tap danicng in the little space that hadn't been consumed by memories of last night. She busied herself looking through a case file she was meant to have completed the paperwork for a few weeks back. She'd just never got round to doing it.

" She's lying. She hasn't touched that file in weeks" Grace had definitely earned that degree in Criminology. It was like the woman could analyse every move she made and read the signs that led to the being guilty as charged.

"Max alert!"

Mickey had taken to warning anyone in the vicinity to whenever Max was about to enter the room. This was new to Stevie as she'd never been in work this early in the morning but from the looks on Terry and Grace's faces this was a regular thing. The sigh that escaped Grace's lips also signalled how much of a dreaded occurrence this was.

"So...Who is he? Is it that geezer from the pub Friday night?" Mickey continued as if he hadn't just announced the imminent arrival of the most difficult man in SunHill. "If it is I'll tell you right now he's married!"

"Or...Is it the guy from the jewellery robbery last week? Because I've heard..."

Terry was cut off by the obnoxious voice of Max Carter.

"Morning all" he smirked at them "Stevie, your in early for a change" he paused to look around the room, his cold stare finally coming to rest on Grace who was doing everything she could to avoid his gaze. She'd even resulted to Stevie's failed plan, thumbing through a file that hadn't been touched in weeks. Her long nimble fingers traced over the words lightly, making it seem as though the words on the page were actually registering in her mind. "No Neil this morning? He hasn't got bored of you already has he Gracie Darling?"  
His words sliced through the air which was filled with tension that hadn't been there 5 minutes ago.

"Give it a rest Max" Terry's voice cut through the silence, cutting off whatever insult he had lined up "Don't even think of playing your mind games with Grace" a rare tone of authority coming was laced though his voice as he slipped into the big brother mode. A mode that Mickey released was becoming more and more of a regular thing when Grace was involved. Even though the whole team knew that Grace was feisty enough to stick up for herself no-one could deny how sweet it was when Terry stuck up for her. They all knew how worried Grace was about her relationship with the DI becoming public knowledge so to hear Terry say it was OK was what she needed to hear.

"Ooh I bet its the nut job from next door!"

Grace laughed softly as she spoke for the first time since Max had entered the room. "You know Stevie's neighbours?"

"Grace, I should have my own key the amount if time i spend at that place. I sleep on her sofa every other week" Mickey chuckled back, glad to see that Max's remark hadn't gotten to her too much. Speaking of Max, he seemed to have gone into one of his moods, probably because they'd all chosen to ignore his digs at Grace. They all thought it was about time they got together anyway. So Mickey let him sit there, a sullen look on his face, and he turned back to the conversation.

"Can we be sure it's not Mickey over here then?" Terry's question shocked him out of his thoughts.

"No. That'd be all kinds of wrong. No offense Moss"

"None taken. Trust me it's not Mickey." she shuddered at the thought of Mickey being the face she'd woken up to this morning "And it isn't the guy from the pub, nor the one from the robbery case. And it definitely isn't the nut job from next door!"

"So you admit there's a new guy?"

She mentally kicked herself as Mickey tricked the admission out of her.

"Stevie has a few fella? What happened to the last one?"

Stevie groaned once more before covering her face with her small hands as Jo Masters walked into the room, mid-conversation. She listened as Mickey brought her up to speed with how the conversation had panned out so far.

"Wait, he has to work here then" They all turned to stare at Grace in disbelief, questioning her silently, Stevie just groaned again. Wasn't there anything this woman couldn't figure out. "Well if she's early to work because of him then he must have a shift to start here too. Its the only way she'd have got out of bed for it. To stop him being late. And it would only matter to her if she knew how much his boss wanted him to be on time. therefore he must work here" This also rules out the Superintendent, seeing as he is the boss. He can't give himself a shouting at if he's late."

Jo mimed being sick at the thought of the new man being Jack Meadows whilst Mickey grinned at Grace. She was fast learner when it came to being sarcastic as well as the fact that she was a genius for figuring it out. Once Jo had finished faking being sick she turned to stare at Stevie.

"Nate Roberts. Even I can appreciate how good looking that boy is.

Stevie couldn't help but nod along in agreement. Nate was definitely a good looking guy. A bit young but good looking all the same.

"Don't even think of agreeing with that Grace Dasari!"

They hadn't heard DI Manson enter the office or by the look on Max's face he just hadn't told them he was coming in. Stevie watched as Neil slipped an arm around Grace's shoulders, and as she leaned into his side. Probably without realising she was doing it. Everyone else in the room had noticed though, this was the first show of public affection they'd shown around the station and all eyes were on them. Except for Terry's. His gaze was fixed on Max, almost as if he was daring him to make a sarky comment. If looks could kill Max wouldn't have made it through the next few minutes.

"As sweet as that is he'll have forgotten about you by next week Gracie Darling. Now if you don't mind I'm going to go throw my breakfast up" Max taunted before pushing his way through the group and out of the double doors.

"Ignore him Guv. I think it's about time" Mickey had noticed the arm around Grace tightened, almost like he was reassuring her that it wouldn't happen. Either that or he was reassuring himself it wouldn't. However he was determined to disperse the dark cloud that was left behind in Max's wake. "Nate's too young!" he joked, smirking as Jo who was perched on Terry's desk laughing.

"Wow guys, I can't remember the last time we all had a group conversation like know, everyone together. Including my boss!" Stevie groaned at them sarcastically. she was mostly talking to herself though. Mickey and Jo were still to busy laughing together to hear a word she'd said. She had no idea how the conversation had been steered into this particular subject. And in front of the DI too.

"Smithy"

Stevie's jaw dropped as she openly gawked at Neil Manson who was standing there as if it was no big deal. Mickey watched as Stevie flushed a deep red, her mouth opening and closing several times, yet the words seemed to escape her.  
It was Smithy! He knew the Inspector had to be in early to relieve the night staff of their duty's and to brief the morning relief on the night's goings on. Smithy was a uniformed officer too which meant if he'd stayed at Stevie's last night he wouldn't be seen in yesterdays clothes no matter what. And there had been the whole thing with the undercover operation and the Devlin case.  
It made obvious sense now that he knew who it was, yet none of them had been able to make the connection between the clues. None of them had linked any of it back to Dale Smith!

Stevie still couldn't find the words to express how shocked she was that Neil Manson, of all people, had figured it out. She never thought they'd actually guess the right man, it had been a long shot.

"How'd you guess Guv?" Jo was curious as to how he'd been in the room less than 10 minutes and had managed to figure out what Terry and Mickey had spent the last half an hour guessing at. Sighing exasperatedly, he gestured widely to himself with his free hand.

"Detective Inspector! Remember?"

**This is only going to be a one-shot i think. Please Review :) Thanks.**


	2. Chapter 2

"So you and the Inspector ey?" Mickey nudged her as he pushed passed her to reach the filing cabinet behind her, a chunky file clutched in his hands.  
They were just packing up after a particularly tough case. She'd been investigating a drugs deal along with Grace whose skills in interviewing young children had been a Godsend when they'd realised the drug mules being used were children no older than ten. She'd originally been on the case with Max who'd been taken off it when the DI realised he had no idea how to talk to his colleagues properly never mind an 8 year old girl. So Grace had been asked to take over, earning her another cruel remark about favouritism. She hadn't cheered up a great deal since Max's outburst earlier but any progress she'd made had been destroyed with this last comment and she'd spent the last half hour with her eyes glued to the screen of her computer, not even glancing up when Neil left his office and headed out of CID.

"Leave the girl alone Michael!" Terry called from his usual place at his desk, his feet propped up on the table and a steaming cup of strong coffee gripped in his hands.

"Michael? Micky's name is Michael?" Grace chuckled in disbelief as she turned to face them all, a small smile etched onto her face. Terry had managed to break through the wall she'd managed to put up between the rest of the office and herself. Which meant that Mickey owed her a tenner. Stevie had always know Terry would be the one to cheer her up, Mickey had thought it would be Neil. They all knew that even though Terry had managed to cheer her up with the banter, Neil had a lot of work to do repairing the damage Max had caused today.

"Who'd have thought such a proper name would be given to this lazy sod!" Stevie chuckled as she nudged him back, laughing even harder as he doubled up in pain, her elbow having caught him in the stomach. Both Terry and Grace seemed to find this amusing, Terry even had to set his mug down as his broad shoulders shook with laughter, for fear of spilling it over the paperwork that cluttered up his desk.

"Shut it! The lot of you!" he groaned as he straightened up, recovering quickly. Although his arms remained crossed over his stomach protectively, like she'd try the same trick twice. Stevie Moss didn't work that way though, she'd wait till he was crashed out on her sofa next week. "What's Stevie stand for? Steph? Stephanie?" Micky seemed to run out of names after that and had to stop to think about more. Grace laughed at the comical expression on his face as he racked his brains for more names and Stevie found herself grateful that between them they'd managed to make her smile before the day was through.

"That, my dear Michael, is a secret" she smirked at him in triaumph, tapping the side of her nose smugly. She was sure she had the upper hand in this argument and she was almost certain she'd won this round.

"Ah, I get it. That a secret for Dale Smith is it? Saved for late night talks under the covers?" he smirked back, proud of himself for coming up with such a good response yet still aware that if he had any sense he'd put an ocean between him and the fierce little blond. He didn't doubt that he'd earned a good beating with his last remark and he didn't doubt that she'd find the most frustrating way of getting him back. Most likely to be their next night out, probably while he was asleep or while he recovered from the hangover the next morning.

Terry and Grace watched as Stevie's cheeks flushed a bright red, amused at the fact that Stevie had actually blushed. She usually laughed everything off, never once showing signs of embarrassment yet just mentioning Smithy's name had reduced her to a teenager all over again.

"You cheeky git!" she laughed, picking up a pen from Max's empty desk and lobbing it across the room, praying silently that it hit his head and she was rewarded with the sharp thump at it hit his cheekbone. Her victory was short lived however.

"I saw that Stevie." DI Manson snapped as he pushed open the doors that led to the main office. He continued walking into his own private office and shut the door behind him, not looking up at them once. Not even at Grace who had returned to staring blankly at her computer screen. So they hadn't imagined the steely tone to his voice. It looked as if Max's comments had caused a lot more damaged than they'd all originally thought.

"Grace...You OK?" Terry asked only to be answered with a noncommittal shrug of the shoulders and a slight nod of the head being the only signs that she had heard Terry speaking.

Then again, what had they expected? When had Grace ever admitted to not being OK. She was far to stubborn to admit that Max and his stupid put downs had actually gotten her. Neil definitely had his work cut out for him if he wanted to put things right which she knew he would. After Jake's illness had become common knowledge Grace had been the only one he'd spoke to for weeks outside of work. Heck, Stevie had even heard that Grace had been to hospital to see Jake.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain in the beck of the head as Mickey threw the pen back at her, muttering something about Max not being happy she'd robbed his pen. Since when had she cared about Max and his stupid opinion. She'd tell him where he could shove his thoughts. She turned to glare at the blond detective but he seemed to be deep in thought, his eyes roving over notes in a case file. They both knew that was a lie. Mickey spent all his spare time baiting either her or Terry, not doing paperwork which is why his desk was piled high with work that had probably been there since the day he started at SunHill. He looked up to smile at her innocently and she found herself promising to get him back during the upcoming weekend. He'd regret it then.

"Cheeky git" she muttered again, promising herself revenge, before she turned to clear up the mess on her desk. She stuffed all the case's files, evidence and notes into a cardboard box before gently placing the lid on it, ready for storage in the evidence room. She couldn't help but wonder how all those children managed to slip through the net, in a country that prided itself on its social and medical care. Yet these kids were so desperate they were willingly turning to drug running, just to survive. No matter how many cases they solved there always seemed to be one just as bad to take its place. One which included more violence, or more drugs. More children being neglected, going un-noticed.

"Oi! Moss, you coming or what?" She whipped her head round, her curls flying around her face, to see Smithy leaning against the doorway of CID, one arm stretched out to hold the door open. He obviously had no intention of hanging around. Before she could even think of some witty retort she was interrupted.

"Whats Stevie stand for Smithy?" Mickey yelled from the back of the room, his voice betraying his curiosity. All eyes spun to face Smithy, eagerly awaiting the answer which would make CID all the more lively tomorrow with the loud voices of both blonds who would, inevitably, end up having this argument again. She watched as his eyebrows furrowed together in confusion and couldn't help but think he looked adorable. She mentally hit herself for the thought afterwards yet she couldn't manage to stop it from sneaking its way back into her mind.

"Last time I checked it was just Stevie." Mickey groaned in frustration, aiming insults at no-one in particular and cursing himself for even bringing it back up again. "I'm going to guess that wasn't the answer you were looking for" he chuckled "If it helps I'll try find out but she can be like a stubborn child when she chooses"

"Oi! I'm still here you know!" She started indigently as Terry laughed from his seat and Grace smiled up at Stevie. "Lets go, before you and Michael managed to insult me even more"  
She giggled childishly as the confused look returned to Smithy's face at the use of the name Michael, she'd have to start spreading that round the station tomorrow. She wove her way through the desks towards him, waving a goodbye to the rest of the team and giving Grace a reassuring smile before she turned to stare up at Smithy.

He looked shattered. His dark hair was a dishevelled mess, no doubt thanks to his police hat, and the vague forms of bags were beginning to form under his eyes. Eyes which stared back at her, the glint in them still as bright as it had been last night. Every inch of him was covered by his civilian clothes, to hide the marks only she knew were there. Bruises from everyday thugs, scars from the army and reminders of his childhood. His life tattooed across his skin in permanent ink.

"When your done staring Moss we can leave" he chuckled lightly, oblivious to the eyes staring at the interaction between the pair who still hadn't left the shelter of the door frame. Smithy vaguely registered Mickey whistling and Terry's voice yelling something about getting a room. All his attention was focused on the small DS staring up at him, scrutinizing every bit of him. He intertwined his fingers with hers, her small hand fitting his perfectly, before waving absentmindedly at the rest of the room. He pulled her out of the doorway and down the steps, wrapping an arm round her shoulders as they left the stations warmth and braved the fierce winds. Her own arm weaved its way around his waist and he automatically pulled her closer, turning left instead of right on his way to her flat instead of joining the rest of the team in the local pub.

Mickey watched the pair leave from the upstairs window.  
Smithy was one of the good guys, God knows he'd proved it enough times.

**OK guys, so a few of you asked for another chapter and well...here it is :) Hope it's OK for you! My only problem now is that the Grace/Neil storyline is unfinished so, not too sure what to about that. I might do one last chapter even though this was only meant to be a one-shot lol. Thanks for reading :D x**


	3. Chapter 3

**OK guys, i really sorry that i haven't been writing anything at all over the last few months. Everything's been a bit hectic recently and I'd explain why but I'm pretty sure you don't really care. If you really want a better explanation then just ask. Anyway, I'm also going to apologise now for the awfulness of this chapter and I promise you the next one will definitely be better and won't take as long to write. Once again I'm really sorry guys :)**

"Rough day then Inspector Smith?"

They were still a few blocks away from her apartment when she questioned him about the rough look. He'd been silent for the last few minutes, anxious almost to get to her place, only slowing in speed so her smaller legs could keep up with him. As they passed under a streetlight she got a glimpse of the full extent that the day had had on him. The bags under his dark eyes were more obvious than they had been the night before and a light layer of stubble had begun to grow on his face. The result of not going back to his own place, not that she was complaining. All in all he looked tired and she made a mental note to herself to let him sleep tonight.

"Nothing a night with you can't fix DS Moss." His voice was soft and low, inaudible to anyone who may have walked past the couple. The streets, however, were deserted and the pair were alone as they made their way back to her place. His arm was still wrapped around her and she was thankful for the extra heat that kept her warm as the bitter wind blew against them, the puddles on the ground splashing up against their legs made the wind feel more like they were part of the ice age.

"By the looks of things someone needs more sleep. Leon mentioned he'd found you half asleep in your office earlier. Gina would kill you."

PC Taylor had come prancing into the CID office, grinning over the fact that he'd found the strict inspector with his head on the desk, his eyes closed and a pen still poised over the papers he was filling out. It was unusual to find Smithy slacking on the job and Leon was overjoyed at the opportunity he had been given for blackmail, not that he'd dare to grasp the opportunity. The whole of SunHill knew that in itself was a death sentence.

"Leon won't be mentioning that again after he spends tomorrow doing paperwork and Gina doesn't need any more reasons to kill me. Trust me." She glanced up at him in curiosity; he got the hint he had to explain after she raised an eyebrow. "It's been more than 24 hours and I haven't told her about…this. Whatever this is" He waved his free arm at her and then at himself, finally giving up on a worded explanation.

Stevie Moss had finally been rendered speechless, by Dale Smith of all people. In a sentence he'd managed to eradicate the good mood she'd been in all day and any thoughts she'd had of looking after him tonight, all by making it sound like a casual fling. She pulled away from him, unwrapping her arm from around his waist and immediately missing the warmth that had covered the left side of her body. She ignored the hurt look he sent her way as he stopped in the middle of the street to stare at her in confusion. Her well known temper flared up at the thought of being taken for a ride, her eyes betraying her as they welled with tears she knew she's never let fall.

"I know what I want this to be. If you don't then I suggest you ring a cab" She turned to walk away before her eyes let her down anymore when she felt a string hand encircle her wrist, keeping her in the spot and turning her round to meet a pair of soft lips. Her hands came up to push him away but the feel of his hands in her hair, holding her close, was enough to push the thought out of her mind and her hands stopped to rest on his chest.

"Your…an idiot you know." He breathed once they'd pulled away, well aware that they were in the middle of a residential street. " I…I know what I want this to be and there's no cab involved." Unreadable eyes gazed down at her and she was immediately reminded of the comment Mickey had made earlier. _That a secret for Dale Smith is it? Saved for late night talks under the covers?_ She had a feeling tomorrow morning would bring a sense of déjà vu for the CID office. Once again his lips found hers and any coherent thoughts she'd had were wiped from her mind.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm not even going to bother apologizing for the timing and the awfulness. :/**

"So Grace, seeing as we've been abandoned by Romeo and Juliet, fancy joining us for a drink?" Micky had calmed himself down since Stevie had left the station, his plans for revenge left him feeling smug and confident. After he was done with her there was no way she'd mention his full name ever again. He was just packing up his stuff now whilst an impatient Terry stood waiting for him near the door, ever eager to get a pint down his throat after the hard day he'd had. Grace looked dubious however, her dark eyes flitting between the pair of them and the computer screen on which her latest case file was still unfinished. "I'll buy you a bag of crisps"

"As charming as that sounds Mickey, I'm not sure. I've a lot of paper work to finish and…" however before she could finish her sentence and persuade him to drop the idea he'd already opened his mouth to argue back.

"Any flavour you want, heck I'll even buy you a bag of peanuts if you're feeling that wild!"

The grin on his face was enough to make her feel guilty for refusing so with a resigned nod she saved her work and shut the computer down, already regretting having left the work so late.

"Fine, but I want my crisps Michael" Mickey cringed inwardly at the use of his full name, at least his mother would be happy to hear the last of the childhood nickname that had plagued him since he was young. They'd almost made it out of the CID doors when the door to Neil Manson's office swung open and he popped his head through the doorway.

"Grace, can I speak to you please?"

"Erm…" She looked towards the two apologetically "maybe some other time guys?" Mickey looked slightly disappointed that all his bartering skills had gone to waste whilst Terry nodded knowingly, winking at her subtly enough for the DI to miss. She knew they'd want the full details in the morning, that's if they weren't too busy questioning Stevie on her night with the Inspector. "Thanks" she muttered gratefully before moving in the direction of Neil's office into which he had already disappeared.

"Hey Grace" The sound of Terry's voice stopped her in her tracks "Don't let him tell you you're wrong. You're never wrong" and with that the two men disappeared out of the office, their bantering echoing through the corridors outside. A small smile on her face she stepped, more confidently than she felt, into Neil's office, the smell of his cologne and instant coffee assaulting her nose before she manage to assess the mess that had been growing in there since Jake had gotten ill. Papers were scattered around the room, some of them stacked as though he'd tried to assemble some sort of order but most of them were just lying haphazardously on his desk or in random boxes of just on the floor.

"Yes Guv?"

"Guv? When did things become so formal?" Neil shocked both Grace and himself with just how hurt he sounded as he voiced his question.

"When you let Max win. That's when." With Terry's voice resounding in her mind her words came out sounding angry and hurt but the fear that had been creeping into her mind since he'd asked to speak to her was no longer there, it had been replaced by a burning passion to show him how stupid he was being. Max had never gotten to him before yet one subtle hint at the affair Neil had once had had turning him into a hypocrite, everything he'd once said about standing up to Max and his useless remarks had been forgotten and she'd been left fighting him alone.

"What was I meant to do Grace?" Neil himself sounded angry now and that alone spurred her on in her fight.

"Brush it off! He says one comment about you getting bored and you freak, why? Is that because that's the reason you've cheated before? Is it because it's true? Is it because you've been trying to find a nice way of telling me? Because there is no nice way!" Her voice had risen and her cheeks were flushed. The calm and collected woman she had been all day had vanished and in her place an emotional and indignant woman had been left, she was determined to let him see what she'd been thinking all day because she'd had plenty of time in between the long silences and sparse words to think. "You should have stood your ground like I stood mine! Shown him that this is for real whether he thinks so or not, because if this isn't real then I'm out. I don't want to have to fill the silences with petty small talk like we've been doing all day for fear of Max ridiculing our every word. I don't want to have to put up with the stony silences and sharp glares that you hide behind when things get difficult. Grow up Neil!"

He'd never heard a silence that was so loud until her voice gave up on her and she resulted to said silence. She'd turned her head away from him trying to hide the tears she was stubbornly trying to hold back but he could still see that her eyes had filled up and she biting her lip to stop it from quivering like a child's. She'd never looked so vulnerable. He was used to her being opinionated and stubborn, almost aggressive in her argument to prove she was right. She was always so strong that to see her at the brink of breaking down shocked him to the core. He wasn't sure who'd brought her to this, Max and his remarks or himself and his inability to cope with Max. He had an awful feeling it was the latter of the two. Slowly his hand made its way to her cheek, softly brushing away a tear that had escaped her barriers with the pad of his thumb. All it took was that one movement for her to fling her arms round his neck and let her body relax into his and all he could say was…

"I'm sorry"


End file.
